Kalamazoo will receive $1.25 million to reduce gun violence

KALAMAZOO, MI – Reducing gun violence is a top priority for Kalamazoo leaders – and they’re supporting it with the help of a seven-figure grant.

The city accepted a $1.25 million state grant from the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) at the Kalamazoo City Commission meeting on Monday, December 2nd. The money will fund various projects aimed at reducing gun violence through outreach programs, training, mentoring and funding for police overtime.

Using the city’s Blueprint for Peace as a guide, the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety identified seven initiatives in Kalamazoo that are already working to reduce and prevent gun violence, said Chief David Boysen.

MORE: How can violence be reduced in Kalamazoo County? New plan provides roadmap

Boysen said KDPS already has a strong partnership with several local organizations, making it a good fit for the state community policing grant. The new funding will support and build on the work already done.

Of the $1.25 million, $362,012 will be used for community engagement programs such as the gun amnesty program, safe gun storage initiatives and educational program materials. Additionally, overtime pay is provided for KDPS officers.

The remaining $887,988 will be awarded to community partners, according to city documents.

The majority of the funding will go to community-based organizations, said Jen Heymoss, chief facilitator of the Michigan Transformation Collective, introducing the city’s collaborative approach.

“It is unique for a community to be in a close partnership … and their work took time to build,” Heymoss said.

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At Gryphon Place, the funds are used to create, coordinate and compensate street workers, said Tia Whitley, vice president of community engagement.

KDPS will use some of the funds to add surveillance cameras at Gryphon Place, 505 S. Park St., to its existing system, Boysen said. This ensures that it is a safe place to carry out this healing work.

The nonprofit will also use the funds to provide free training on restorative justice, suicide prevention and intervention. The training ensures community members can help someone in crisis or address conflict in a healthy way when it arises, Whitley said.

“This is an opportunity to bring together people who do street work and professionalize their work,” Whitley said.

The grant will also support a certificate program at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, where violence intervention specialists and community members train volunteers.

At the Michigan Transformation Collective, the money will help establish a hospital-based intervention program with Bronson, Heymoss said.

The work begins with community meetings and training to develop a Kalamazoo-specific program. Michael Wilder currently mentors victims to overcome violence and move on once they leave the hospital.

“People get shot once and are dead, and here you get shot once or twice and you’re alive,” Wilder said. “Now your life is what you did before you got shot and what your life is after you got shot.”

Wilder, a seven-time offender, former drug dealer and former gang member himself, now serves as coordinator of the Group Violence Intervention Initiative. He will help shape the future of the program.

MORE: Unlikely relationships emerge in the fight to end gun violence in Kalamazoo

“Because of who we are, we reach young men who are deeply involved in gun violence and are willing to put their weapons down,” Wilder said. “We teach them that they are worth more than their guns, and they listen to us.”

The Lewis Walker Institute at Western Michigan University will lead the evaluation efforts supported by the grant.

“Our aim is to ensure that the outcomes predicted in this plan are thoroughly implemented,” said Director Bianca Nightingale-Lee.

The institute will stay in touch with project partners through focus groups and surveys to ensure the plan is well implemented, she said.

KDPS originally planned to purchase license plate scanners as part of the project, but that was scrapped after the state made it clear the funds could not be used for that purpose.

These grant-funded programs represent another form of education available to Kalamazoo residents, said Vice Mayor Jeanne Hess.

“It brings out your best self,” Hess said. “This is education of the heart. It is education of the whole person.”

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